Means for producing a variety of trimming effects



H. LEVINE Filed June 1'7, 1 938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQRv g m/V W V1 B A TTQRNEYS Dec. 5, 1939.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING A VARIETY OF TRIMMING EFFECTS H. LEVINE Dec. 5, 1939.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING A VARIETY OF TRIMMING EFFECTS 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed June 17, 1938 mm 6 QW km/M INVENTOR BY Harry Levine ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 5, 1939 MEANS FOR PRODUCING A VARIETY OF TRIMMING EFFECTS Harry Levine, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application June 17, 1938, Serial No. 214,281

1 Claim.

This invention resides in means for incorporating a. braid trimming in tucked or pleated material. The material may be dress goods or fabrics, and the braid is desirably of a color contrasting with that of the material, or of a surface appearance distinguishing it from the material.

The primary purpose of the invention is to provide means of the aforesaid nature by which a great number of designs may be produced. Broadly the invention consists in associating or combining with mechanism for producing a tuck in a piece of material, an element for laying a braid in the tuck, and means controlled by the operator independently of the tuck producing mechanism for creating relative reciprocating movement between said element and the tuck in a direction transversely of the tuck whereby the operator may cause portions of the braid at selected intervals to protrude an appreciable distance from the tuck in the production of a predetermined design. I

In the present preferred embodiment of my invention, I utilize the standard tucking arm of a factory type sewing machine having combined with it a braid laying element or head for disposing a braid in the folds or tucks of the fabric in the process of stitching the tucks, characterized by means under the control of the operator for shifting the braid laying element or head to and fro laterally at will thereby to alternately expose one edge of the braid at selected intervals and for desired distances, and conceal the braid between and beyond such exposures entirely within the tucks so that trimming effects of diiierent designs may be produced, especially byproperly correlating the exposed portions of braids of successive tucks,

Other objects additional to the primary purpose above set out and including the attainment of simplicity, low cost, and convenience of operation in means of the above mentioned nature, will appear as this description proceeds and are attained in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof and wherein similar refer ence characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a perspective View of a sewing machine equipped with the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 a front elevation, of the tucking arm and adjacent portions of the machine wherein the inventionis incorporated; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional details through the tucking blade and braid laying head when causing an edge of the braid to be exposed and when causing the braid to be entirely concealed within a tuck; Fig. 6 represents a piece of tucked fabric'involving a design produced by the means of my invention, and Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged sectional details on the respective lines I is the table of a factory type sewing machine, the machine proper being designated generally by the reference character 2. The machine is power driven, desirably by an electric motor (not shown), and it includes a base 3, a housing 4 that rises from one end of the base, and an overhang: ing arm 5 that projects from the top of the housing longitudinally of the base and carries within the enlarged portion of its outer end the usual mechanism for actuating the needle 6 and the foot I, the shuttle and other remaining elements of the ordinary stitch forming mechanism being housed in the base 3, as will be readily understood. 7 The base 3 is mounted upon the table I with its top surface spaced a substantial distance above the corresponding surface of the table, and surmounting the table some distance from the base 3 is a standard Ill whose to'p'surface is in substantially the plane of the top of the base 3. Connected by a pivot member I l to the top of the standard I0, soas to swing in a horizontal plane, is an arm l2 tothe free end of. which is adjustably connected a tucking blade it. In the making of a tuck, the fabric is laid beneath the blade 15 and is folded over the edge thereof so that the right hand edge or the blade (as viewed from the operators position) defines the edge of the tuck, the blade being adjusted with respect to the arm I2 so as to produce'a tuck of desired width, the width of a tuck corresponding to the distance the right hand edge of the blade I5 extends beyond the line of stitching, the latter being determined, of course, by the vertical plane of the needle in a direction fore-and-aft of the machine.

Mounted for reciprocating movement upon and longitudinally of the arm i2 is a slide 28, the same being held to the arm by guides 2! and 22. Adjustably connected to the slide 20 are stops 23 and 24 for cooperation, respectively, with the guides 28 and 22 tov limit the reciprocating movement of the slide. Adjacent the free end of the arm l2 and above the tucking blade i5 ment or head 25. arably connected to the slide, as indicated at lit. The detachability of the braid laying elementor head is for the obvious purpose of enabling heads the slide 20 carries a tubular braid laying ele- A The head is desirably sep-' of difierent sizes to be used corresponding to the different widths of braid that may be employed from time to time.

The braid, designated B, is flat and is guided to the element or head 25 by a fiat tube 28 that is soldered or otherwise fastened to the tucking blade I5. This tube is intended to effect delivery of the braid to the head 25 in straight condition and in proper relation to the head, and in order that the operator may detect any twist in the braid as it passes-through the tube 28, the top wall of the tube is cut away for a distance inter mediate the'ends of the tube, asindicated at. 29.

The braid is supplied from a spool 30; rotatably supported on a spindle 3| that extends from a bracket 32. This bracket is fastened to and rises from the table I beyond theside of the standard I0 remote from the machine, and the braid is led from the spool through a cylindrical tube 33.

to the fiat tube 28, the tube 33 beingcarried by braekets34 from the arm, I2;

Extending upwardly through a slot 36 in .the table I to a point above the horizontal plane of the slide 26 is the verticalbran'ch 37 of an L- shaped lever 38, said branch being pivoted at 39 to a bracket 45 that is; shown as attached. by screws 4| to the table of the machine. Said branch of the L-shaped lever 38'is adapted to occupy the space between rearwardly extending lugs 43 of the slide 20 whenithe tuckingv arm I2 is in the position shown. From the foregoing it will be seen that when the lever 38 is oscillated on its pivot it will reciprocate the slide .20 a distance permitted by the adjustable stops Hand 24. A spring 45, located beneath the table top I, has, one of its ends attached to. the vertical branch of thelever 3B and its oppositeend anvchored to a pin 46 that depends from the table top, said spring tendingtorock the lever in a direction. to move the slide 20 to the left, as the parts are viewed in the drawings, and ,so as to engage the stop 23'with the guide, 2|. The free end of the horizontal arm 4'! of the L-shaped lever 38 is connected, through an element v l9,with apedal 50 that constitutes, in effect, a leverthat is pivoted at 5| to a bracket 52, desirably secured in any suitablelmanner to the floor. By depressing .the lever. or pedal 50, the L-shaped lever 38 may be swung in opposition to the spring. 45 to move the slide20to the right In Figs. 4 to 8, the fabricis designated F, and the line of stitching is indicated at S. In theuse of the invention, the fabric is folded over the tucking blade I5 in the manner abovedescribed; the tucking arm is swungto operative position, as shown, and the fabric is fed .through. the ma.-

the tuck and, desirably, beyond the line of stitching. When the portion of the tuck is reached where the braid is to be exposed for a substantial part of its width, the operator releases the lever or pedal 50, allowing the spring 45 to swing the lever 38 in a direction to shift the slide 20 to theleft and withdraw the head or element 25- partially from the tuck but desirably sov that the right hand edge of the braid will slightly overlap the line of stitching. When a section ofv braid of. the desired length has been exposed the operator again depresses the pedal so as to cause the parts to resume the first described position.

From theforegoing it' will: be seen. that the operator may, at will, shiftxthe braid with .re-

spect to the tuck to causean exposure ofthe braid at selected intervals of desired'duration, permitting the operator to produce any desired design on a pleated or tucked piece of material by varying the intervals and lengths ofbraid exposures along a singletuckand relating in any desired manner the exposed portions of the. braid of successive tucks or pleats.

Where the term manuallyoperable means is used in the claim, it is intended to embrace means operated by hand, foot, knee or anyv other part'of the body,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

The combination with a sewing machine having a tucking arm pivoted at one end to the machine structure so that it is capable of being swung in a substantially horizontal plane to. and from operative position inwhichposition itsfree end is.in operative relation tothe. needle of the.:machine, a slide mounted on said arm, and a braid'laying element carried by the. slide for movement to and fro in substantially'the line oistitchingand transversely thereof. when thetucking arm is in operative position; of a leverpivoted to themae chine structure, means urging saidlever in one direction, and a pedal operativelyconnected to said lever for moving it inopposition to said means, the slide and lever having parts c0operating only when the tucking arm is in operative position for establishing operative connection between the slide and lever;

HARRY. LEVINE. 

